Who is Fury? Gladiators 2024 star whose dad competed on show
Fury is the show's first ever deaf Gladiator.
After 15 years off air, Gladiators is back.
The show has been rebooted for BBC One, and as well as a new hosting team in the form of Bradley Walsh and his son Barney, we also have a brand new line-up of Gladiators, including Fury, who makes history as the show's first deaf Gladiator.
Fury describes her disability as her "superpower" and joined the show after being influenced by her dad, who previously competed on the show.
As Gladiators kicks off on BBC One, read on for everything you need to know about Fury, including which games she plans to smash.
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Who is Fury?
Age: 22
From: West Yorkshire
Height: 5 ft 7in
Bicep: 34cm
Fact: Fury is the first ever deaf Gladiator, and she describes it as her superpower.
Instagram: @jodieounsley
Fury, real name Jodie Ounsley is a professional Exeter Chiefs rugby player.
Ounsley is very successful when it comes to her sporting career, having won titles for former England Women's Rugby Seven's player, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu British Champion and five times World Coal Carrying champion. She also won the title of Deaf Sports Personality of The Year in 2020.
Which game plays most to your strengths and where would you say you should be most feared as an opponent?
"I absolutely loved The Ring. It is one of the new games and it is a dream come true for me. It plays to my strengths, as you get to tackle the contenders.
"All the contender has to do is run past me and touch the button in the middle. I'm used to people using footwork to literally step and try and get past me, but going up against the contenders, they were just going directly at me and, as a tackler, that’s easy."
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Who is Fury's dad?
Jodie was inspired to go on the show after her dad Phil Ounsley took part in the original series.
Asked why she wanted to become a Gladiator, she said ahead of the reboot: "The biggest reason is because my dad was a contender in a previous series, so Gladiators has been a big part of our family since I was little.
"I loved watching how physical the Gladiators were but then I also loved watching my dad go through the process as well, so he’s clearly been a massive influence and it's pretty cool that I can do it too."
Phil is a former professional mixed martial artist and ambassador for The Elizabeth Foundation charity, a pre-school nursery for deaf children.
He appeared as a contestant on Gladiators in 2008.
Gladiators starts on BBC One on Saturday 13th January at 5:50pm. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.
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